The Riders
by Chihaya
Summary: Daine and Numair's daughter, Sarra, decides to become one of Queen's Riders. She goes to Corus and makes friends and learns much more than she meant to.


PART 1

The Riders

Tamora pierce owns all the places, and all the characters that sound familiar, or that aren't riders, except jasson, he really is the youngest prince in the tamora pierce books, but I made him a lot younger, and I gave him personality.

PART 1

'coming?' daine called.

'yes,' sarra, daine's daughter answered. sarra, a black-brown haired, gray-eyed, 5' 8",dark fair-skinned, 15 year-old girl, was soon to be one of the queen's riders, but training didn't start for a week, so she was at numair's tower, enjoying a moment when both her parents were home. sarra scrambled to find her boots, then struggled to put them on as she ran outside.

'storm's getting fidgety,' daine said, talking about sarra's pony.

'coming, ma,' sarra replied impatiently. she ran out the door glad to be riding with both her parents, numair and daine. 

'the king's worried about scanran pirate attacks,' numair said.

'isn't that normal?' sarra asked. 

'yes,' daine said.

'there's miri,' sarra said.

'hello!' daine called to her friend, miri. miri rode over followed by her husband evin, and her children alex, and Adeline. as evin rode over , he was already deep in conversation with numair about pirate attacks on the coast. 

'you can ride to the beach,' miri said to alex. alex was 5' 10" with dirty-blond hair, light skin, green eyes, and 16, one of sarra's best friends.

'you can go too,' daine said to the reluctant sarra. sarra hugged daine, then numair, and went after alex. they rode on to the beach, and got off their horses. sarra secretly thought her mother let her go to the beach to distract her from her pre-rider worries.

'an excuse to get away from Adeline,' alex remarked.

'she isn't that bad, is she?' sarra asked.

'she can be, always thinking about her hair, or her dress, or make-up, don't people get sick of that?' alex replied.

'oh,' sarra said. they rolled up their breeches to their knees and waded in the ocean. the cold water felt good on sarra's ankles and feet. 

'will you quit eating yourself up about being in the riders! both my parents were in the riders, that's how they met, and it's not that bad, and queen chisakami is nice. you're making me nervous,' alex explained suddenly.

'i'll think about it, and i can ask ma about it too,' said sarra, 'thanks alex.'

'what are you thanking me for?' alex asked.

'well, for making me feel less scared,' said sarra meekly. they mounted their ponies, storm and magic. 

'you were gone long enough,' Adeline said to alex and sarra, 'it's getting dark, and i had to wait out here for you, thanks a lot.'

'you're welcome,' said sarra sweetly.

'oh, be quiet,' Adeline retorted, 'it was like you were kissing out there or something, you were gone so long.'

'we were not doing that,' spat alex.

'you're dirtying my slipper!' said Adeline mockingly, as she went into numair's tower. the larses were eating dinner with daine and numair.

'she annoys me,' sarra muttered.

'i agree, and what was that about kissing????' alex asked sarra.

'i don't know,' sarra said. they walked into the tower, as daine called that dinner was made. sarra was thinking about the comment that Adeline made about kissing. there is nothing like that between them! sarra thought. the dinner was delicious, but she could barely eat, for worry, daine, miri, sarra, and alex were riding to corus the next day to start training, and numair would follow soon after. maybe i should take alex's advice, and stop worrying, she thought, i can ask ma about the riders after dinner. 

PART 2

'are we ready?' miri asked daine, alex and sarra.

'yes,' answered daine.

'calm down, will you,' alex said.

'okay-' sarra replied.

'if i get anxious, i'll fall off my pony, so talk to your mother, or mine, but not to me!' interrupted alex, annoyed.

'you're nice,' sarra said sarcastically.

'i'm sorry,' alex answered.

'no i am, i shouldn't have answered like i did,' sarra said.

'no, i'm sorry,' alex replied in a fit of laughter.

'i'm sorry, you can't be,' sarra said in mid-giggle.

'i'm glad sarra calmed down enough to laugh,' daine remarked.

'yes, although alex hid his fear better than sarra, he is scared too,' miri said. the rest of the ride to corus was fun, alex made her laugh, and it calmed her down.

'ma, do i have to have special training because i have the gift?' sarra asked nervously. when-ever someone attempted to teach her in her gift, she got impatient, because they always taught her the easiest spells. wouldn't someone figure out that, because i'm numair's daughter, i might know those easy spells already?, sarra wondered.

'they teach everyone herbs, and map-making, but, yes, all the gifted riders get taught,' miri told sarra, for daine.

'race you,' alex called, 'how about to the end of the woods.' the edge of the forest was about one-hundred yards away, a good racing distance.

'okay, go!' sarra yelled.

'no fair! you started first, and i wasn't ready,' alex said.

'so?' sarra replied. sarra won, and the party stopped for the night. 

'da's bringing the rest of the stuff, right?' sarra asked her mother. indicating extra clothes, and other stuff for their apartment in the palace.

'yes,' daine said absent-mindedly.

PART 3

when they reached corus, they had to maneuver, so they didn't step on little children, they were one of the few people with horses. 

'can't we speed up?' alex asked.

'no,' said miri firmly.

'please?' answered alex.

'i said no,' miri said, now annoyed. it would be nice to be back in the castle, and it isn't for another two days until we have to be in the riders, mulled sarra. she was looking forward to staying at the palace, she had grown up much of her life in corus, and only had started living in numair's tower a year ago, when she met alex, he lived around pirate's swoop. sarra wanted to say hi to all her friends in the castle.

'corus, finally,' daine said, almost happily.

'don't like corus?' miri asked.

'well, i like it well enough, but sometimes all the people annoy me,' daine answered. the little band of people entered the palace grounds, and rode to the riders' stable and pastures. daine and miri put their ponies into the ponies' stall.

'follow me, sarra, alex,' daine said. they followed her around to the other side of the stable, and showed them some empty stalls.

'i'll tell onua, we're here,' daine said to miri, then explained to sarra and alex, 'i'll ask onua, if you can have those stalls, for your own ponies, but you'll still have to pick others for training.'

'okay,' sarra grumbled.

'don't grumble, sarra,' daine said,'the riders were fun.'

'you were never a rider, ma,' sarra answered.

'well,' daine said. sarra and alex rode their ponies around the pasture.

'my ma can complain too much,' sarra said.

'mine does too. i think it's just the job of a mother,' alex moaned, 'to think, that i've only been here once before, about two years ago.'

'well, bye,' sarra said.

'wait, where are you going?' alex asked her.

'i wanted to see all my palace friends, you know, lianne of dunlath and tirragen, and tilaine of persopolis,' sarra explained.

'oh, girls,' alex said.

'you're aren't my only friend,' sarra retorted.

'bye then,' said alex.

PART 4

'you're a RIDER???,' asked tilaine,'personally, i think knights are more honorable, as i am one.' tilaine, sarra's friend, chestnut haired, brown-eyed girl of 16, about 6' 5", and sarra were walking along the outer wall of the palace, talking.

'well, fighting endlessly doesn't suit me!' sarra said angrily.

'different interests,' remarked tilaine suddenly, 'well, you couldn't be a knight anyway, you start training much earlier.'

'yes, and i didn't want to train that early in my life, so i think we're both happy.' sarra said.

'good luck, and is anything happening between you and, what's his name? the male you came into the city with?' tilaine wondered.

'NO!!!!!, and his name is alex, so will you call him alex?!' sarra exclaimed.

'temper, temper! okay, you don't like alex like that,' tilaine hastily said. 

'no i don't, and i want it to stay that way,' sarra said through clenched teeth.

'bye!' tilaine called, as she walked away,'off to dinner!'

'bye!' sarra called back, their argument forgotten. sarra walked away from the wall thinking if it looked as if she liked alex like that, and if she really did like alex like that or if she wanted to, she decided against that thought, alex was a friend, and no more. she walked up to her parents apartment and found daine, miri, and alex already there, about to eat dinner.

'we were waiting for you, and i'm hungry,' alex complained.

'well i'm here,' sarra said.

'wash your hands, they're probably dirty,' daine remarked. daine had made rice soup, one of sarra's favorite foods. 

'goodnight, get a good night's sleep, tomorrow is your first day of training, and it's not good to be tired, it's hard anyway, even if you're awake,' miri remarked.

'thanks,' said sarra dryly.

PART 5

Sarra picked a blue mare, and a chestnut stallion as her ponies that she was to train. Then the training began. They woke up in the morning, from Myra's wake-up shout, they dressed, and went to breakfast. The queen said something about thanking the gods, then they ate, and readied their morning mounts and rode. then after they practiced archery until lunch. they ate then readied their afternoon mounts, and rode, and practiced trail making, and living outdoors. they ate dinner then had lessons on herbs, and more on living outdoors. they then meditated. sarra already had learned to meditate, both her parents meditated every night. then trainees then fell into their beds exhausted. at dinner one night, a few months later, sarra was sitting by Lianne, her auburn hair attracting many people's attention with her deep blue eyes, which sarra had always thought to look exotic, and a girl named rose who was rather nice, and really funny, with brown hair, and brown eyes.

'see the trainee over there, the tall black haired one?' Lianne said to sarra.

'yes,' sarra answered.

'that's the prince, Jasson, you know, he's rather good looking,' Lianne remarked.

'i like, what's his name, Alex? well, the young man next to Jasson, blondish hair, green eyes,' said rose.

'yes, that's Alex, he's a friend of mine,' said sarra.

'like, what kind?' rose asked.

'don't say that in front of sarra, she's touchy on that topic,' whispered Lianne to rose loudly.

'Lianne,' sarra said.

'well it's true you do get touchy when someone says that about you and Alex,' Lianne informed sarra.

'okay it is, but it's that everyone assumes that i like him and i don't, okay,' sarra said sort of angrily.

'still Jasson is rather good looking,' said Lianne changing the topic.

'yes, i agree, he is, but the whole Conte line are good looking, his mother Thayet, was marvelous in her younger years,' replied rose as if Lianne should know that.

'herbs trainees,' yelled Ivor.

PART 6

'off to this summer's training spot, Queenscove!' Myra yelled, 'you'll get half a day to pack tomorrow, then we're off.' sarra could hear groans coming from almost all the beds. she thought going to Queenscove might be fun. she learned later it was that they only had a half a day to pack.

'where's Queenscove?' sarra asked Lianne.

'i think it's near river Olorun,' Lianne answered.

'oh,' sarra said as she dressed. the day seemed to fly past sarra in her eagerness. the next day her excitement just rose.

'move out,' Ivor shouted to the trainees the next morning.

'we're going to Queenscove!' yelled another trainee. they were riding steadily for about an hour, when Ivor yelled for them to have lunch.

'tomorrow, you're getting your own food, trainees, you better be able to hunt then, because if you don't, you'll never get any food,' Ivor said.

'my archery is horrid,' whispered rose.

'yours isn't bad,' said Lianne, talking to sarra.

'i guess, but i learned from my ma before the riders, and my ma was never a bad shot,' sarra replied.

'your ma was never a bad shot! that is an understatement! Daine was better than the lioness herself, when she was 13!, stop being humble you can be proud of Daine, and Numair, both are wondrous,' said Lianne.

'yes, but sometimes i feel, well, dwarfed, having two famous parents. my da being the most powerful mage in Tortall, and my ma one of the strongest, if not the strongest, wildmage in Tortall, it makes you feel small,' said sarra as she drank some soup.

'you know, when we come back, there's a party for the queen's birthday,' rose remarked. Alex walked over to sarra.

'hello,' said Alex mostly to sarra, but to Lianne and rose too.

'hello back,' sarra answered.

'i haven't seen you around, and i wanted to know what happened to you,' Alex said to sarra quietly.

'nothing. boys and girls must be separated in the riders, well more or less,' sarra said. 

'bye, see you around,' Alex called back, as he walked over to Jasson, and the boys around him.

'he likes you, will you stop avoiding what's in front of you,' Lianne muttered.

'what did you say????' said sarra.

'nothing, but Alex probably likes you, and you're avoiding knowing that,' Lianne replied airily.

'okay, but i don't like him, like that,' sarra said.

PART 7

'Queenscove!!!!' shouted Rose. Keladry of Queenscove rode to meet Ivor at the head of their procession, and they chatted as they rode to the Queenscove castle. When they got to the castle, Keladry showed them to the boys and girls sleeping quarters, and told them to come to the main court yard in a half of a hour, after they put their gear and clothes by a chosen bed.

'We will be living her for a month, so your better get comfortable, think of it as your home for the next month,' announced Myra, at dinner their first night at Queenscove.

'Oh great,' Lianne said. Sarra walked away from Lianne and Rose to talk to Alex.

'Hello Alex,' Sarra said.

'Hello, let me introduce you, here is Jasson of Conte, the youngest prince, and here is Jonathon of Seabeth and Seajen. Jasson and Jon, this Sarra Salamalin, daughter of Veralidaine Sarrasri, and Numair Salamalin,' Alex explained.

'Hello, sarra,' chimed in all Alex's friends.

'Hello...um...Alex,...can i...um...talk...to you...well...alone?' said Sarra hesitantly.

'Sure...okay,' Alex replied with equal hesitance. sarra led Alex outside near the horse pasture.

'Alex, well i wanted to talk to you for two reasons,' sarra began, 'well, first, i was wondering who the lord and lady of the castle are.'

'I think the lord and lady are Nealan and Keladry of Queenscove, but I'm not certain, I'm not noble you know, this isn't something you learn as a player,' Alex said.

'Well, I'm not noble either, I'm the daughter of a mage and...another mage, and Daine is a Gallan commoner! i don't know anymore than you on this topic,' she replied angrily.

'I'm sorry, i know your parents aren't nobility, but your father is Numair, he might know,' said Alex quickly.

'I'm sorry, Alex,' Sarra said.

'What was the other thing you wanted to say?' Alex questioned.

'I was wondering...well...if people...um...ask you if...we...like each other...more than just friends,' she asked as she became red in the face.

'Well...yes, they do-,' said Alex.

'How do you answer them?' Sarra interrupted.

'I say no, there is nothing like that between us, is there?' Alex said.

'No, i guess not,' whispered Sarra, almost gloomily.

'Is that why you wanted to talk to me alone?' Alex said softly.

'Yes, thank you for understanding, it meant a lot to me,' confessed Sarra quietly.

'I was wondering that myself, I'm glad you brought that up,' Alex whispered.

'Why are we whispering?' Sarra wondered.

'I don't know, but there's someone coming, so be quiet, i don't really want to get in trouble for not being at dinner,' said Alex, almost in a whisper. Sarra doused her bright pink magic flame instantly, as a person, looking like Myra, to Sarra, walked past her, the person's hand ablaze with yellow magic. 

PART 8

'Two days ago, when you left us, and walked outside with Alex, what did you do? You didn't come back for thirty minutes,' Lianne asked.

'Well-,' Sarra said, being interrupted by Myra.

'Trainees, time to practice your archery, stormwing attack in the west, all of you to the walls!' Myra screamed. All the trainees grabbed their bows, and ran up to the walls, in a desperate hurry to kill the stormwings before they hurt them. 

'I don't like stormwings!' someone said near Sarra. Sarra didn't like stormwings herself, but she knew her ma had spoken for them to stay twenty four years ago, and never understood her ma's reasons for them to stay in the mortal realms.

'Shoot,' Ivor yelled. The trainees shot legions of arrows towards the approaching stormwings, killing many stormwings. Sarra wished she had practiced more during her free time, because her arm soon felt stiff. All the stormwings were killed within an hour, but many trainees were injured, but luckily none were killed. Of Sarra's friends, only Lianne was injured. Lianne got her head scratched, and there was a lot of blood loss, but the scratches were shallow.

'Hello Sarra,' Alex said as his face turned red, alex had walk over and was walking beside sarra as she walked off the wall.

'Can we act as we did before???!!! Is there anything like that between us???!!! If there is, will you just tell me???!!!' Sarra angrily replied.

'I'm sorry Sarra,-' began Alex.

'I should be the one who should say sorry, i blew-up,' Sarra apologized.

'Yes, but i reacted...well...differently,' said Alex.

'and i'm not one to lose my temper like that,' sarra replied. they reached the ground, and walked in opposite directions.

sarra wondered if she really did like alex, more than just friends, but then she laughed, that would never happen! she didn't know what she felt for alex, it was confusing. to calm down, because the trainees were given time to relax, after the stormwing attack, sarra got out a spell book her father, numair, had given her before she left to go to the riders, to read and study. sarra found a shady tree to read under and started to read, but was soon interuppted by lianne. 

'hello,' sang lianne, 'somehing bothering you?' 

'oh...nothing,' sarra said slowly, thinking as she spoke.

'really, you can tell me, i'm not going to jump on you, you know,' comferted lianne.

'okay...um...you know alex...he acted....well...strange. you know, as if he liked me,' responded sarra. 

'well, he might, i mean, i don't doubt it, he does act like he seems to like you, and it isn't that bad,' explained lianne.

PART 9

later that day, sarra and lianne were talking as they were walking. 

sarra said,'i know you like jasson, and you won't admit it, and i think i can introduce you to him, alex is friends with jasson, and, yes, i'll ask alex if you can meet prince jasson.'

'is is that obvoius that i like jasson? we'll be leaving queenscove in a few days, i think four, and i want to meet jasson before that,' lianne remarked.

'we, no you, can meet jasson, i already met him, but i'm coming too,' sarra said,' so let's go!' sarra picked up her book and bow, and started to look for alex and his friends, and luckily it didn't take long, they found them in a underground fencing coart, watching keladry and neal fencing each other.

'you like to watch this?' questioned sarra.

'well, there really isn't anything else to do, and the rider girls are swimming, plus it's cool down here,' alex answered.

'i have someone here who wants to meet jasson, but make it look like you were doing the introducing, you know, well lianne wants to meet him, and...well...you know,' sarra whispered.

'okay, i can do that,' said alex really softly.

'i can't hear in here, and i want you to meet someone,' alex almost screamed to jasson.

'i don't mind, and it is getting loud,' yelled jasson. jasson followed alex out of the fencing courts, and they walked to a cool, empty hall. 

'jasson, this is lianne of dunlath and tirragen, daughter of maura of dunlath and francis of tirragen, lianne, this is prince jasson of conte, son of thayet, princess of saren, and jonathon of conte, brother of king roald of conte, and brother-in-law of queen chisakami of the yamani islands,' alex introduced, then to sarra,'let's leave them, they may want to talk, and i want to see how good you are with a bow, i know your mother was good, but i want to see if she passed any of her archery to you.' 

'fine, i have my bow already, so i'll wait for you in the archery court, plus, i want to finish reading the spell i started,' sarra planned.

'you read spells???' wondered alex, as he walked away

alex left to get his bow, and sarra went to the archery court, and sat down on the grass reading as she waited for alex. sarra wondered if jasson was nice, and if lianne was having a good time, and that alex was really slow. 

'hello, what are you reading?' alex asked as he knelt to see what the cover said.

'oh, it's,' sarra paused as she noticed how close alex was to her face,'it's "advenced offensive 

war-craft," spells' as she finished talking alex kissed her on her mouth, and she felt a rush of feelings go through her, making her feel giddy and scared at the same time.

'well, lets now start our archery,' alex said, turning redder and redder.

'okay...how about the first to get three arrows in,' sarra walked over to the fence and attached her handkerchief to the fence,'my handkerchief. now it was sarra's turn to turn rather red. alex won, but it was because sarra was preoccupied, she didn't understand why alex would kiss her. well, she thought, lianne was right, alex really does like her, he likes her maore than just a friend.

PART 10

right after alex's and sarra's match, lianne found sarra looking glazed, and asked what happened. sarra had told lianne about the archery experience, and lianne gave her an,'i told you so,' look, and sarra glared at her. four days later they left queenscove, and their trip back was uneventful. the queen's birthday was soon after they came back. the queen was having a ball, and the rider trainees were to go, and as sarra learned soon, the riders despised squires and pages, and were annoyed when they too were invited. the buzz of excitement rose sarra's spirits, but not much, she didn't want to face alex, and he was acting strangely towards her, like he liked her. sarra found herself with lianne, searching through her friend's trunk of clothes, looking for a dress for lianne to wear to the ball. 

'how about this one?' lianne asked, holding up a dark green dress with a low neck line edged with copper, the color of lianne's hair, and the green accented her eyes. 

'it will look really pretty. i wish i had something to wear that wasn't breeches, it didn't occur to me to bring some. i think i'll ask myra if i can go our apartment in the palace, to ask my ma if any of my dresses are my bedroom left, or if my da brought some, it sounds like ma to remember that kind of thing. she has a good memory for details,' sarra said as she left to find myra, it was after meditation, and they were relaxing before bed.

'myra, can i go to my parent's apartment in the castle, numair samalin's?' sarra meekly asked.

'yes, oh,' myra paused as alex was passing by to the boy's barracks,'alex?'

'what?' alex replied as if jolted from a thought.

'will you escort sarra to her apartment, if two go together then you won't get in as much trouble, hopefully,' answered myra. sarra was uncomfortable, and alex looked it too, she just wanted to think, not with alex there.

'the ball is soon,' alex interjected, trying to start a conversation, but sarra was so uncomfortable she didn't answer, she didn't want to be rude, so as she was about to answer, they got the door to her parent's apartment, where they were living while sarra was becoming a rider.

'are you coming in?' sarra said.

'well...okay,' replied alex. they walked in and sarra asked daine if she had any dresses in the apartment, daine was obviously amused with her daughter's want for dress, then said hello to alex as she got sarra's dress from her old bedroom. daine had a idea that sarra would breeches to the ball, if she wasn't trying to look nice, and she guessed who she was looking nice for, especially with how sarra was interacting with alex.

'numair remembered your favorite dress, the blue-gray one,' daine said.

'thanks, i'm glad someone remembered, but i hope it fits, i've grown a bit, i've noticed, and well, it hasn't,' sarra fretted, but then remembered it wouldn't be strange if numair had made it grow as she did, magically, so she added,'i think.'

'no. yes, it has grown, numair made it grow after you left, after i rode back to the tower, on my suggestion,' daine remarked. sarra smiled to herself, it sounded like her parents to make her dress grow, magically for convenience, so they wouldn't have to buy another dress that wouldn't look as good on her. then, much to sarra's dismay, an baby dragon walked over and started to chirp at sarra's feet.

'hello kitten, i really need to leave now, i'm sorry, i'll pay you a visit later, i promise.' 

'kitten misses you,' daine laughed.

'i noticed,' sarra said gloomily, thinking that she'll never leave if kitten didn't want her to.

'sarra?' a voice in another room asked.

'da? is that you?' sarra asked.

'yes, are you leaving?' sarra's da, numair questioned, still in the other room. sarra guessed he was in the middle of a spell if he didn't get up.

'bye, da, ma,' sarra said as she left, much to kitten's displeasure.

PART 11

at the ball, the shy trainees were huddled in a corner, but sarra and lianne was not of them. sarra was talking to tilaine while lianne was the center of the party, a collection of squires, knights, and trainees were clustered around her, she pushed her way out of the crowd of young men, to walk over to sarra and tilaine.

'i'm i really that pretty? okay, i danced with a squire and , what's his name, jonathon, alex's friend. he was nice, i liked him. i was hoping to dance-,' explained lianne.

'we know who you want to dance with,' sarra said.

'who is that lady, i think she's a rider because she looks familiar, but she's been dancing almost every dance with jasson. what does she have that i don't?' lianne asked.

'i don't know, she's a blond-haired, blue-eyed young woman, who is considered to be the typical beauty, curvy, you know, like verice,' sarra said as she half shuddered, she liked verice, but she knew her by ways she didn't like, how she was associated with her, or her father. 

'well, i don't like her, and that's it,' lianne finalized. alex walked over to sarra, at the beginning of a song, and as she debated with tilaine if she should learn to fence.

'will you...dance...with...me?' asked alex.

'well,' sarra began.

'go on, it'll do you some good, i'm going to go dance,' whispered tilaine, as she found a someone to dance with.

'okay...i guess,' sarra ended. the song started and they danced, sarra didn't know what to feel, it was almost comforting to lean on alex's body, but then, this was too much, this was not friendship, yet she knew that. they were more than friends, at least on alex's part, if not sarra's, sarra realized that she might like him, like that. something changed between them, sarra felt that, she was comfortable standing that close to alex, she got giddy, and didn't understand it. the song ended, and alex danced her over to where she was sitting and she was almost sorry to see him go, and then had a pang of jealousy when she saw alex dance with a brunette trainee.

'you look jealous, what's the matter?' tilaine asked the preoccupied sarra.

'oh...nothing,' said sarra off-handedly. she started thinking about alex, she didn't know what she felt for him, in the past month so many things have changed between them, but maybe she liked it, maybe she liked alex. sarra was confused.

PART 12

two months later it was sarra's birthday, and it came too fast for her. when she woke up that morning, she found a pile of about four neatly stacked presents at the end of her bed. she sat up, shocked, and decided that she better open them now, while she had time, and today she was one of the first ones awake. she pulled the first present off the stack, she opened it and found another advanced war-mage spell book, her father had given her that, she guessed, and underneath it was a note and a light, blue-green silk dress, her mother's choice, and a note that said, "happy birthday," she thought her parent's gifts were perfect. next she opened a package, and on the canvas wrappings was scrolled, "be at the first fencing court at eight, i'll teach you to fence. -tilaine," inside was a thin sword and sheath, both well made, but rather plain, sarra decided she might as well go at eight to the first fencing court, it would be interesting to learn how to fence. then she opened the package from alex, and she got uncomfortable, she was afraid it would be too personal, or maybe not personal enough, but he got her a book on the history of archery in tortall, and wrote that maybe her archery needs practice, that made sarra laugh, so she brightened up enough to open lianne's present, it looked like what lianne would get her, lianne gave her a black opal pendant on a thin gold chain, practical, yet pretty and decorative, very lianne.

'how do you like it? you never wear jewelry, and i thought the only way to get you to wear a necklace was to make it practical, to give you something you can use. tilaine told me opals are mage's tools. they store magic?' lianne explained.

'yes, they store magic, and i'll wear it. it's pretty, and practical, the opal will help me with my war-craft studies, too,' sarra said. sarra put he necklace on and walked out with lianne, asking her if she should learn to fence, for reassurance.

'yes, i think you should, you should learn to fence,' lianne finalized. sarra decided that was it, she would go at eight to learn to fence, but she decided not to take anyone, she wanted to talk to tilaine alone, tilaine had once liked another squire, but sarra knew that tilaine had given up, she thought it was worthless to fall in love. the day went quickly and soon it was time to go the fencing court. tilaine was waiting for her. tilaine showed her basic parries, and swipes, and sword fighting was nothing like anything she had ever learned before, it was nothing like archery or hand to hand combat she learned when a shang warrior when he came to the castle three years ago. the sword felt foreign and weird, but when the stopped after an hour, tilaine said she did well. sarra's friend had seen many pages learn to swordsmanship, being that she was the best or the second best swordsman in the court, and she said sarra had learned very quickly.

'tilaine, you know alex, right?' sarra asked.

'you mean the blondish friend of yours who well...you know, likes you? he is kinda cute,' tilaine said.

'yes, that's alex, i guess he isn't bad looking, but is it obvious he likes me??? he kissed me two months ago in queenscove, and he hasn't acted the same, our friendship changed, and not subtly. i don't understand it, then right after we came back from queenscove, at the queen's ball, i danced with him, as you know, and i felt weird. i guess that's the right way to put it, it was like i didn't mind dancing with him, or him being that close, it was weird. i can't bring this up with lianne because...she'll get jealous, she envies me because someone i like likes me. she likes jasson, but jasson likes this girl, oranie, and he doesn't pay any attention to anyone else, it was as if he was spelled. lianne said he was nice enough when she met him, and he seemed to like her, and good manners for a prince is to try to dance with as many different ladies as possible at a gathering like that, and he only danced one dance with someone else, a girl oranie showed him. it was sickening!' sarra explained.

'you said "as if he was spelled," right? well, does this oranie have the gift? you of all people should know the kind of spell it takes to do that, sarra, you do have a liking for that, that's what you do. me, with my gift, i'm a healer, through and through. duke baird said that during the corus's latest sickness, i helped heal many people, it wears you out,' tilaine said.

'i really can't heal at all, i have no idea what it's like,' sarra confessed,' 

PART 13

'now sarra, it was very unlike you to misbehave in that obtruse fashion, first, you were late to bed three days ago, and then, you were late for dinner, now what were you doing?' said myra sternly.

'well, i was fencing, myra,' sarra mumbled,'with tilaine, a squire.'

'tilaine you say, at least you learned from a good fencer, but fencing? second, as riders we don't learn fencing, it is something only knights learn. you are not a noble! yes, i admit it you are well bred and rich, the only daughter of the best mage in tortall, and his wife, another famous, and great mage, but they are mages!!! your parents aren't noble, and they don't own a feif, it is not right,' exclaimed myra,'so, for your misdoings, i will give you two weeks punishments, you need to, in addition to your own, help daine and onua take care of the spare ponies.' sarra walked back to her room feeling ashamed, yet satisified, she couldn't get away with her fencing, but that didn't stop her. she liked fencing, and onua and her ma were nice, but sarra was afraid to face daine as a punishment.

'so, what happened?' lianne interrigated sarra as she walked in the door.

'well, i have to help take care of the spare ponies with my ma and onua for the next two weeks,' sarra replied.

'bad, having to have punishment with your parent, i pity you,' lianne said.

'don't,' remarked sarra. she climbed into bed thinking what she would tell daine when she had to face her, and how daine would react. sarra couldn't guess, her mother wasn't her. her punishment came and went, daine was a bit strict, but she understood that sarra would want to try new things, and daine also wanted to learn to fence herself, she had always thought that she couldn't, daine was a bastard, and she was a commoner, she wasn't in the right class, yet sarra was learning, and she thought it wouldn't be bad to learn something new. sarra knew that from past experences. the next day, she was eating her lunch outside, because it was warm and sunny that day, and alex walked over and sat next to her, under the tree sarra was under and sarra had the same strange giddiness feeling she had when she danced with alex at the queen's ball. then, because only sarra was outside eating, alex kissed her, again, on the mouth, but this time sarra kissed alex back. it was two months ago when they were in queenscove and alex last kissed her, and she felt so strange. she kissed alex again.

PART 14 

'okay, i admit some confusion. you kissed alex, after he kissed you? you didn't rebel, and you liked it? this isn't like you sarra,' lianne mumbled as she walked around sarra looking like she was thinking hard.

'yes,' sarra said very slowly. she was sitting on her bed, as lianne interrogated her, looking outright angry and baffled.

'well, i wish that jasson likes me. all he does is sit around that oranie girl, giving her cow eyes, while she ignores him and then he down-right kills himself over it! it's insane, and he still likes her, she even knows it, and then tries to sit with every other man! why?' lianne yelled.

'well...i was thinking, does oranie have the gift? if she does, there is a spell for love, plus it's very easy, but no one teaches it anymore because the spell's so strong. if she did a little reasearch, and had the gift, then she would make jasson fall in love with her, to annoy someone, or to gain something,' mulled sarra.

'will you stop thinking! but oranie does have the gift, i have no idea how strong, but she does, a yellow one, in fact,' lianne said.

'the person who almost caught me and alex talking in queenscove had a yellow gift, and now to think about it, there was someone with the yellow gifted person, then i thought it was myra, but it must have been her! but why would she want to magic the prince, who is giftless, to fall in love with her? is it to raise her social status? that isn't enough, it can't be,' muttered sarra.

'well, to meet the royal family. she would then have contact with them, and she would make others jelous,' said lianne.

'yes, it sounds like a good reason,' sarra said. sarra had met oranie, she acted if she knew that lianne liked jasson, and she was not about to give jasson to lianne, and lianne could never get him. jasson wasn't acting normal, that sarra was sure of. 

.

PART 15

sarra, one night in a back corridor, was standing with lianne as she was talking with jasson. she soon left lianne with jasson, she didn't want to intrude on their conversation. as she walked away, she ran into alex almost immediately, and asked him if he wanted to go with her to the fencing courts, but she first had to get her sword.

'you have a sword? well...i mean...isn't that...well...wrong?' alex asked. 

'yes, and i got in trouble, but fencing is fun, you should try,' sarra said as she ran off to go get her sword, she didn't know if it was the best thing to take alex, or tell him, one of the reasons she was fencing was to talk to tilaine about alex, well, she thought, what's over is over. she caught up to alex and they went to the fencing court. sarra realized it was the first month anniversary of her fencing trips, sarra smiled, she had soon lost count of the times she had gotten in trouble. daine had known about all of her punishments, and she did nothing drastic, she decided that fencing was nothing to ruin her daughter's life, and she was in enough trouble already with myra. 

'how about we try free-style today, sarra. alex is it? well, here's a sword and i'll teach you some basic moves and you can fence with sarra,' tilaine planned.

'but, i can't. i'm not noble, and i'm a rider,' alex objected.

'oh, will you be quiet! just learn, you're about sarra's same height, and i'm not, i'm taller, about six foot four, or maybe five, i'm not sure, well, you get my drift, so grip the sword and follow my example!' tilaine said loudly and annoyedly. alex practiced with tilaine, and then tilaine told them now to do free-style, and soon sarra was sweating, she didn't know how to do this! she forgot that alex never fenced before, and that she wouldn't get hurt, because they only fenced lightly. sarra finished with her sword set on alex's nose. sarra had won. tilaine challenged her to a match, and tilaine was tough, and tilaine won, but she had more experience, and it was to see how good sarra was, and how good her technique was. it was soon nine, and alex and sara left as tilaine did. 

'see you tomorrow, sarra,' tiliane called after them. sarra left feeling happy, and then she looked at alex, and a sudden giddiness sweep over her, and then she made the mistake of looking at alex, as she saw that he too looked giddy and expectant, and he kissed her again. she expected that, and didn't care. she kissed alex back, so they stood there getting rather cold while they kissed each other.

PART 16

sarra cought up with oranie, and walked with her one morning to go to the mess hall for lunch a week later.

'what do you and your little friends want? i know lianne has a problem with me, and i hate her, but she can be dealt with easily. i know you don't have a reason to hate me, so how about we're friends,' offered oranie.

'no. not with lianne weeping every night on your account, not when you are creating unreal feelings, not when you're ruining other people live's because you want to improve your social status. no, not me. i wanted to help lianne, lianne's my friend, you are not. i'm sorry if i'm messing-up your master plan, but i can't, i won't, it's inhuman,' sarra said coolly.

'well, you shall pay,' said oranie quietly. sarra wondered what that was about, it made no sense, unless she was threat to her. yes, sarra knew, she was a good war-mage, better than her father even, and her fencing was improving rapidly, but that was not enough to presant a threat, she had a strong will, and want for battle. her parents didn't approve of her love of war, the tactics, the magic, the weapons. her love of battle didn't suit her, as many people said to her, but when she got angry, she fought, and as she talked her anger rose. sarra walked in to the mess hall and sat across from lianne.

'i saw you walk with oranie,' lianne said as she swore profusly.

'yes, she asked me to be her friend, i said no quite sharply, she angers me,' replied sarra.

'see, she is evil,' answered lianne.

'i agree, and she doen't even like jasson, he's a tool. a tool! she ruins your life just to gain social status,' sarra said. she watched oranie go and sit by alex, jasson, and jonathon, sarra liked jonathon, he didn't say much, but he was nice and sincere. plus, he obviously dispised oranie.

'hello, sarra, lianne,' rose walked over happily. sarra glared at rose, she liked her, but she knew that she had been flirting with alex before she came over, and sarra resented that, she knew that rose would have talked a lot longer if it alex hadn't stopped her.

'that alex, he's so rude! he cut me off to talk to jonathon, in mid sentence! any respectible man would let me finish my sentence, any noble!' exclaimed rose.

'well, first he's not a noble, he's the son of a player and a sea girl, and second, why would he talk to you? i don't think he even know's your name!' said sarra angrily, she sometimes didn't understand rose.

'excuse me! you must know alex pretty well,' rose answered.

'acually, i do,' sarra said quietly, as a dreamy look came into her eyes. 

'i understand it perfectly now. you're jelous aren't you, you like alex, but he's doesn't like you like that. it makes perfect sense, now,' rose shouted. sarra didn't reply, she was baffled at how dence rose was, and she could see lianne was too. lianne was sitting there open-mouthed in shock, and so was sarra, lianne knew that sarra liked alex, there rose was right, but alex liked her first. rose was blind, wanting alex and believing only what she wanted to. 

'what? what did i say? okay, am i wrong, you don't like him, you are just friends?' rose plowed on blindly and deafly.

'no...we are sort of...um...well...what's the word...like each other more than that...if you know what i mean,' sarra murmered joltingly.

'i see, so you are jelous, but you're jelous because i can talk to him, and you're afraid you'll blush and tell him you like him,' rose understood. sarra sighed, rose will never understand, yes, she thought, i am but not about that. i'm jelous because you were talking to him and i wasn't, but then, rose had become less and less of a friend ever since she stated to flirt and openly show she liked alex, like that. sarra decided not to put rose straight, she could talk to alex during fencing. he, since a week ago came, and it was much easier, he was more her height, and he gave her confidence because she always won, but alex got annoyed.

PART 17

'sarra! i challange you to a battle, magic vs. magic. the winner gets jasson, deal?' oranie yelled, on a day two months later, as they went outside during lunch, and found an open field to battle.

'what are you doing? what is this? why are you with oranie?' alex asked disgusted.

'listen,' sarra led alex away from oranie,'okay this looks really weird, but it's the only way i can get jasson out of his spell, oranie has the gift, i do too. i like to battle, don't worry.'

'will you stop putting your lfe in danger?' alex asked, but before sarra couold answer alex kissed her warmly and passonatly. sarra kissed him back, but she was worried.

'don't die on me,' said alex, now worried.

'maybe it was vain-glory, maybe i won't win, i couldn't study as much lately with punishments and other things,' when sarra said other things all she meant was fencing, if she said that in front of oranie, she'd feel sarra cheated, and quit. 

'plus, alex, will you get my sword, no you can't, ask lianne to get my sword, you can't go into the girl's barracks,' ordered sarra to alex. she walked over to oranie.

'sarra, i didn't think you'd be the kind to fall in love. you already have a lover, why are you fighting for jasson? you want another man in debt to you?' oranie taunted.

'no! i'm fighting for jasson because of lianne. you don't have to see her weep every night, or stare and hate you every day. no, you're just doing as you darn well please, without thinking about anyone else,' sarra said visously.

'oh, well aren't we being noble? oh, i forgot you can't be noble, you are a common-born mage's daughter, of a bastard and her showy husband, who cares more about his studies than he cares about your mother. yes, i know arram draper, or is it numair salamalin? he used to love my mother, and he dropped her, like a log. no, you precious parents aren't at all as mighty as they seem!' oranie yelled, as she through a bolt of yellow fire at sarra. sarra responed quickly, knowing that would come and through up a protective wall as she created a sword of magic. my fencing paid off, sarra thought grimly. sarra fought as oranie tried despretly to free herself from bands that held her tightly, that sarra had made earlier. 

'you can't beat me, you are but a mage's daughter, and your war magic stinks, even babies could do what you are doing!' oranie screamed above the roar of the magic. lianne then ran to the clearing and handed sarra her sword, which sarra quickly used as she put down her protective wall.

'you cheater, you dirty lier. i'm letting you cheat because i know you can't wield that thing, it's to scare me, you know that too!' oranie said depretly, then she sent someone to get her sword too. sarra cut and blocked using the blade to block oranie's magic. finally sarra cut through oranie's now weak shield and fought sword combat, sarra blocked and thrusted, remembering all the practice she had done in the last five months. i'll never win this, thought sarra, i'm not a good swordman! she saw the oraine was tiring, and there was an opening, sarra thrust, and brought oranie to her knees.

'i surrender, i mean it!' oranie exclaimed. 

'release the spell then,' sarra said. she could tell she had when jasson walked over to alex and asked wha

just happened, and that oranie was getting on his nerves. sarra smiled, lianne now had hope, so sarra ran to lianne as she was throwing up in disgust from the blood of oranie and sarra when they're defences went down.

'you had to lose blood? i can't stand blood, and other things,' lianne moaned. sarra looked at herself, she was covered in her own blood and oranie's, the blood caked in dirt, she realized she was a mess, and understood lianne's digust.

PART 18

spring came, and while sarra was walking with alex, sarra looked in lianne's direction and smiled. lianne was talking with jasson, and lianne looked happy, and the weather was happy, it was sunny and warm. sarra got her pony, and rode over with alex, lianne, and jasson, they had to help take care of all the extra horses, including oranie's, she left right after sarra's battle with her, and they still had to have punishments, for the last two months. they had fun though, they laughed and talked as they worked, and onua and daine let them, they would leave soon for their year long trial period, so let them have fun now. finally their punishments were over, and they walked out of the stables, almost forlornly, but they weren't that forlorn, tomorrow their trial started, and they were all in the seventh riders, and so they would all leave together, jasson, alex, sarra, and lianne. the next day, they could relax until noon when they ate lunch and left, with all the other trainees. so when lianne and jasson were sleeping in, alex and sarra walked up to the castle to see tilaine, who was already a knight, to say good-bye, and farewell.

'mithros, mynoss and shakith, sarra! so you're leaving?' asked tilaine.

'yes, me, alex, lianne, and jasson are all in the seventh riders. only my father says that! 

'my mother went to the carthaki university, i learned it from her,' explained tilaine.

'oh,' sarra said. sarra and alex left the palace, smiling and were soon met by lianne. 

'we're leaving go to your bed and get you bags. let's go!' lianne yelled.

-DONE


End file.
